II.

Land and Resources

Worcestershire is mainly a lowland area of undulating terrain. In the western part of the county, the Malvern Hills, which rise to a height of over 400 m (1,300 ft), form the border with Herefordshire. In the north-east the Lickey Hills consist of Silurian and Cambrian rocks, and the foothills of the Cotswold Hills in the south are Jurassic. There are coal measures in the Wyre Forest in the north, and the fertile Vale of Evesham in the south-east is underlain by clays.

Worcestershire’s main river is the Severn, which flows in a south-easterly direction through the Wyre Forest to Worcester, and continues on to the south, reaching the Gloucestershire border at Tewkesbury. Other important waterways include the Teme and the Stour, both tributaries of the Severn, and the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, which flows north-eastwards from Worcester.

The Malvern Hills, designated by the Countryside Agency as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is rich in wildlife—its heaths, woods, and streams offer diverse habitats for a wide variety of birds, animals, and insects. The Wyre Forest, near Kidderminster, is home to deer, bats, and many birds of prey. In Ravenshill Wood, west of Worcester, badgers, foxes, and other animals abound, and finches, warblers, kingfishers, and many other birds can be seen.